Ghanaians arrested for illegal entry, evading health protocol

MONROVIA,LIBERIA-Five
Ghanaians have been arrested by officers of the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS)
assigned in the township of West Point in Monrovia for illegally entering
Liberia.

The Head of Press and
Public Affairs at the LIS, Abraham Dolley, said the five Ghanaians are
currently with health workers undergoing quarantine for the COVID-19 virus.

Mr. Dolley told ELBC over
the weekend that following checks by health workers, the five will be turned
over to the LIS for immigration formalities.

He said: “The arrest was
made by the help of the Armed Forces of Liberia Coast Guard”.

Mr. Dolley also disclosed
plan by the LIS to increase surveillance in the West Point area, as it is
another point of illegal entry into the Country.

In a related development,
seven Ghanaians are currently in jail in Nimba County for reportedly refusing
to adhere to Liberia’s health preventive measures put in place by Government.

According to the Incident
Management Team Deputy for Operations, Thomas Nagbe, the Ghanaians were
arrested by the State Security.

Mr. Nagbe said:” They
passed through the Ivory Coast and entered Liberia through many of the illegal
crossing points”.

He said at present there
are scores of Ghanaians at the Liberia-Ivory Coast Border who have been stopped
by surveillance officers from entering Liberia.

He said:” Though
Government has closed all its major entry points, including airports, those
foreign nationals are using the illegal points to enter the Country”.

He spoke Saturday, March
28, 2020, at the start of a five-day National COVID-19 Response Training
organized by the Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), with support from
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Meanwhile, the National
Traditional Council of Liberia has ordered the practices of all Sandi and Poro
activities temporarily suspended across the Country.

The Council said the move
is intended to allow traditional leaders and their members to abide by the
approved health protocols, irrespective of affiliations.

Addressing journalists
over the weekend, the National Chairman of the Council, Chief Zanzan Kawor,
also appealed to the religious community to respect Government’s temporary
closure order of worship services to halt the spread of the virus.

Chief Kawor, however,
countered critics engaged in defiant posture to desist and cooperate in the
interest of the Country.

Meanwhile, Chief Kawor is
proposing to Government for the holding of a National Consultative Meeting of
heads of traditional leaders in Monrovia to intervene.

Jonathan O. Grigsby, Sr. a Liberian Journalist, currently employed with the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) and have worked at the entity for more than ten years. Over the years, he has been covering National and Local Elections in Liberia conducted by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
He reports on various diplomatic missions accredited near Monrovia, Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and reported also on the Ebola outbreak in the country also provide coverage on Local and International NGOs and Civil Society Organizations. He is currently, a senior student at the African United Methodist Episcopal United (AMEU), reading Sociology and Mass Communication.